Horrible effort. Obviously defense was tragic. Subban, and to a lesser extent Hutton, looked okay but the rest were very poor.
Sautner was no where close to this level and was embarrassing. How did this player ever get offered a contract. You dump McNally and sign this player???? You have to wonder which Western scout saw anything here. Someone should be canned here.
Neill looked like the second second coming off Taylor Ellington. Only thing worst than is puck movement was his skating. Had trouble reversing direction and frequently stumbled when trying to stop when going backwards. Cederholm looked equally a slug.
Brisebois (guy we traded Lack for) looked totally confused and demonstrated almost zero ability to cover around the front of the net.
Given what we have seen its going to be a long season on defense for the Comets.
Gaunce and Virtanen were the only forwards that looked close to having a chance to make the team. Didn't see nearly enough out of Cassels or McCann. Neither showed enough speed.
Thought Zelewski was decent and he should have fairly good season in Utica.
Neither Fox of LaBate skate well enough to be considered true prospects.
Stewart looked clumsy at times but actually showed some promise. Needs a lot of work but given the speed, size and toughness there is something to work with here.
Goaltending would have had to be spectacular to keep the game close but it was far from that. Witt should not make the Comets.
Shinkaruk was a total disappointment and for Lord sake let's not bring up his hip injury. This player must be seen as in bust territory at present. Would say he that any window to move this player for something is shut.
Hey Orc, I always like to feed off of your breakdowns. They give me direction. I told myself not to get into this yet, but I don't listen well so here goes.
First and foremost we know we will really learn nothing from these three games. There is no direction or system. Every player is pretty much going it on his own. Guys needing more Jr. work stick out like deer in the headlights. Guys about to enter the pros with a lack of maturity look lost. Guys who have been playing at the pro level just try to stay out of trouble and remain injury free when it's over. They have nothing to prove in this type of game and are waiting for training camp. It's not worth any evaluation of most of these players in this atmosphere.
Hutton and Subban are Comets and there is no other possibility. They will make good plays and a few mistakes because they are not ready yet. Subban looks better than he is in these games because he can skate his way through it. At the next level they all skate too. His defensive game is yet to be learned. Hutton will look great and then make a major blunder. Learning curve is currently on the short end. Talent is there in both of these guys and as long as the Vancouver higher ups know they need to be paired up with veteran talent while they learn, they will both advance and their games will noticeably improve. That's why the A exists. Hutton's a bit older so he needs to grasp it quicker so the young ones don't catch up and pass him by over the next couple three years.
Sautner is an undrafted free agent long shot at best. The Zoo is where he should start his career and if the drafted ones succeed, it's where he will stay. Problem? The D-men currently in Utica's camp may give him a serious chance to stick as the #8. Cederholm is not that much better. Supposed to be a steady stay at home guy with little offensive talent. He would never look good in games like these with that description since there is no structure for him to fit into. He was drafted so he has an edge on Sautner.
Brisebois is a JR. and that's all that needs be said at this time.
"Given what we have seen its going to be a long season on defense for the Comets."
I have been hinting at this for weeks. Actually they can be decent with the signing of a Sanguinetti type or a Huskins type veteran defenseman to even out what they have. Biega and Fedun are good D-men, but they need one more to either be a rock solid stay at home veteran presence who demonstrates how to play positionally in his own end (Huskins) or a guy who plays well in his own end, but moves the puck with ease and threatens offensively, a veteran PMD (Sanguinetti). This gives Subban and Hutton a veteran partner to guide them along and cover up when they blunder. Biega had that assignment big time all last season. Fedun will serve just fine in that role as well. Pedan needs to have one as well. He's not ready to be the A-guy in his pair. It's not Ehrhardt or Mceneny who I'd keep as #s 7 and 8.
Zalewski isn't even a Vancouver contract and will be a pressbox reserve if Vancouver guys are ahead of him. His problem is a lack of flash. He's not a big goal scorer. He doesn't deliver big hits. He is a grinder and a good one. He can play center or wing. He was a part of the Comets amazing 4th line. They were one of the top 2 or 3 checking lines in the league (first in my mind since I didn't see one better). They could bottle up an opponent for an entire shift and do it all game long. Drove the opponent nuts. They also created countless scoring chances, but amazingly just couldn't finish. He never looked out of place vs. the best in the league and proved it all through the playoffs.
No fear on Witt with the Comets. He is backup insurance since the Canucks don't have one in their system between Cannata and Demko. Go figure! Bachman and Cannata will be fine in Utica. In fact they are a major plus.
Stewart is a project that hopefully starts the experiment in the Zoo. Blundering about trying to make the conversion from D to wing in the AHL for a not so good player in the first place is not how it should be done. If he gets it down there and appears ready, bring him up when a hole opens through injury or poor play.
LaBate makes the Comets unless new blood is acquired. How he will do is unanswered, but his pedigree says he is considered a go for now. He is naturally a center and is playing the wing where he's also played before but he has some learning to do. Fox will be the odd man out because he just doesn't skate well. As soon as he gets mixed in with a bunch of players with good feet he flounders.
Cassels is a Comet. He will ply his trade at the AHL level and learn to play against the pros. If he can get his game at the pro level to the same effectiveness he had in Jrs., he will be fine. He is very talented. He just has to grow and progress up the ladder like most other kids coming in from Jr. He isn't a blue chip, can't miss. He'll have to do his time. I feel he will come along just fine. Too good to fail. McCann is similar, but can't play in the AHL just yet. Jrs' is where he'll land.
Vancouver needs to fix their scarcity at center in means other than what they currently have in the system. They don't have anyone in the lower ranks that can fill that hole now and it would be a disservice to any kid they try to force in there before he's ready. If Vey can't do it, get one somewhere else. They will be there when NHL camps break.
Lastly, Gaunce and Shinkaruk will start the season as Comets and most likely stay the season. They will be given bigger roles and more will be expected of them. Gaunce is effective, but lacks the kind of eye catching pizazz people are expecting. If he can succeed as a second line winger, play on the 1st or 2nd PP, and kill penalties, Vancouver will have a success story. He had risen to that level last season except the 2nd line position. He couldn't keep up with the speed and the weaving game style of Conacher and Friesen. He's more of North/South type of winger and they were water bugs flying all over both sides of the rink. We have to remember he was playing the wing and not his more comfortable center position. Green has said he will be started on the wing, but they are not ruling out returning him to center. His wing play and the Comets' center situation will determine the outcome in this one. Vancouver's center dilemma may also push the buttons on this for Gaunce.
Shinkaruk is now ready to play pro hockey with no issues to blame. If he keeps trying to be a puck carrying, offensively threatening, dangling, beat the D-man, and score highlight reel goals, he's done. He saw Baertschi do that last year and he can't do that here. He has to take the breakout pass, get up ice, get the puck to his play maker (O'Reilly type), find open ice, get into the seams and lanes where he can get it back, and then use his unique skills in close to score goals. He can be a very good player, but his old habits will find him pushed wide, pasted to the boards, run to the ditch in the corners, forced off line and behind the net, or finally met at the gate by a very angry gatekeeper when he tries his endless attempts at the wraparound. His old style will end his progression to the bigs. Green was working that out of him, but frustration or a spark of success with an old trick would see him regress to the old habits. A demotion in lines or a rare visit to the press box would get him back on track and we'd see his goal threatening presence return. It's a matter of repetition until the newer things become the norm and then an old trick once in a while will produce a more well rounded threat every shift. I still think we see a success story here. I'll let you know how long I stay confident as the season progresses.
Oh, by the way, Shinkaruk can't do this without a seriously good play making center. His counterpart on the right wing, Grenier, won't have the season he had last year without the same. The Comets don't have this since O'Reilly left. Cal didn't score goals, he set them up. Jones is not that type of center. He scores goals first, but gives it up when his path is denied. Gaunce works well with this type of center. Add a winger like Cracknell and you have a very effective second line. Friesen (never) and Cassels (not yet) are not the first line center period, but definitely not of the ilk required for Shink and Grenny to succeed.
Truly sorry for the essay to all of you who detest them, but this thread was just crying out to me to get this off my chest.